Star Fox Adventure: Dinosaur Planet
by Crystal Dragon's Lament
Summary: This is the novelization of the gamecube game Star Fox Adventure: Dinosaur Planet. Fox McCloud is charged with fixing Sauria, which is literally being torn apart. Fox has to find out why this is happening and stop it, fast. Full summary inside.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Starfox Adventure: Dinosaur Planet

Title: Starfox Adventure: Dinosaur Planet

Genre: Action/Adventure

Rating: K+

Summary: This is a novelisation of the Gamecube game Starfox Adventure: Dinosaur Planet. A female fox named Krystal receives a distress signal from Dinosaur Planet. There, she finds out the planet is in ruins and is being torn apart as the forces that have held the planet together have been disrupted. However, before she can discover more about this planets fate, she is attacked and sealed inside a crystal. Fox McCloud is sent on a mission to Dinosaur Planet. There he finds Krystal's staff and it is now up to Fox to save the planet, defeat the enemy, and maybe even get the girl.

A/N: Well if you can't tell, I really like this game. I mean, why else would I take the time to write the whole thing out? But its fun. Chapters after chapter 3 will probably take some time to be posted. For the written dialogue found in the game, I have copied it out word for word. Of course there may be some extra dialogue but I will never change it. I intend to stay true to the game and not deviate. I hope every one is okay with that. If your not, stop reading.

_Chapter One: Aboard the Galleon_

From the depths of space, a girl named Krystal searches for the truth of her parents' death.

Finding herself within a lost corner of the Lylat system, she receives a distress call from a world known as Dinosaur Planet.

Being of a kind nature, Krystal decides to investigate.

This night as she ventured forth to find the source of the distress signal, she rode on the back of a kindly CloudRunner who had agreed to help her. They soared through the sky, ignoring the storm raging around them. Flashes of lightning guided their way through the clouded sky. Krystal brushed rainwater out of her eyes with a blue-furred paw and peered into the distance. Something didn't feel right to her. She drew her staff out from behind her and held it conveniently in her paw.

"I received a garbled distress signal. It said something about a mountain hidden in a storm," she called down to the CloudRunner beneath her. Krystal was speaking in the language of the Dinosaurs. She was quite adept at picking up other languages and she already had quite a few at her disposal. She had to yell to be heard over the howling storm. With the winds whipping her voice left and right, it would be a wonder if the pterosaur even heard her at all.

The CloudRunner let out a shrill cry, letting Krystal know he had heard her. She looked up again, still yelling down to her ride below.

"Whoever they are, they sounded in great danger!" She was worried about these poor creatures who had called for her aid. How badly were they injured? Would there be hostile enemies there? What if they were already…dead? Krystal shook her head and took a deep breath. Even if they were, she couldn't just sit by and not try to help someone in need.

From behind them, Krystal picked up the sound of something big flying towards them. She turned around in her seat and quickly ducked down again as several fire balls flew overhead. Turning around again, she tried to find the source of the assault. More fire balls had been fired and one was heading straight for her.

Instinctively, she threw her arm up in front of her face with her staff out in front. The impact of the fire ball wrenched her staff from her hand and sent it hurtling through the sky where it fell through the clouds below.

"My staff!" She wanted to reach for her staff, one of her few weapons and her most trusted source of protection.

The cry of a horrible beast ripped through the night. It was behind them, but getting closer. Beside Krystal and the CloudRunner, a giant shipped loomed. The helm of the ship bore the head of a dinosaur and it seemed to be alive and roaring for all it was worth. At first, Krystal was shocked by the sight of this monstrous vessel, but she quickly regained her bearings. By use of pressure on the pterosaurs shoulders, she maneuvered him downwards and behind the ship. This had to be HIS ship. The evil General the CloudRunner had told her about. Just the sight of the ship made her blood boil. No one should be able to do what this creature was doing and get away with it. She had to at least confront him. Also, maybe this was where the distress signal was coming from. Krystal readied her magic and prepared for battle.

There was a motor on the underside of the ship propelling it forwards as well as two cannons shaped as dinosaur heads shooting more fire balls. As the CloudRunner dodged around the flamming balls of death, she aimed her magic at her three targets. Several times they were grazed with the heat of the fire balls, singing her fur and burning the tough skin of the pterosaur.

She concentrated her efforts on the propeller first to slow the ship down slightly. It was so hard to hit! Its rotating motion made it almost impossible to hit and the evasive flying of the CloudRunner didn't help either. _Come on Krystal,_ she told herself. _Concentrate!_ With a few more bursts of magic, she was finally able to destroy the blades on the propeller, effectively slowing it down. _Yes!_ Her next target was the cannons.

These were a little more difficult to take care of, considering they shot back. While once again trying to dodge what would most certainly end in there death, she fired her magic at the cannons. Even after the second cannon was destroyed, she knew the fight was not over yet. There was definitely more to come.

With the destruction of the second cannon, the ship put on a sudden burst of speed, pulling away from them. When it reached a fair distance away, it began a sharp turn in their direction. As it turned to face them, Krystal pushed the CloudRunner forwards and headed straight for the head on the helm. Gathering all her energy and holding it at the ready, she took aim at the dinosaurs head which now shooting giant fire balls at them. When they were in range and she was sure she had a decent shot, she fired.

Her shot was perfect. It hit the ship right in the face and it let out a cry of anguish. Seizing her chance, she urged the CloudRunner towards the deck of the ship. When they landed on the rail, she slowly slid off his back and landed nimbly on the deck. Krystal wanted to have a look around and see if she could find the evil general. She turned back to the CloudRunner to thank him.

"Thanks for helping me," she called to him. "I can take it from here." The winged dinosaur nodded his head, let out another cry, and winged off into the storm. Krystal turned her attention back to the ship and began to explore.

As she maneuvered around the sliding boxes, a voice reached her ears. It was more of a chattering then actual speech but it seemed to be distressed somewhat. She whipped her head around, trying to find the source of the voice. She spotted it at the other end of the deck. A baby CloudRunner was trapped in a bird cage like a pet and she could tell he wanted out. Making her way towards the poor creature, she decided to help him.

When she reached him, she tried to talk to him. "Hello little fellow," she cooed. "Are you alright?"

He looked up at her and nodded. "I'm fine," he replied meekly.

"That's good." Krystal smiled warmly at him to show she meant no harm.

"If you're looking for something, you should probably explore below deck," he suggested.

"Bellow deck?"

"Mm-hmm." He nodded his head towards an open door leading below deck at the opposite end of the ship.

"All right then," she replied. "I'll be back." With that, she turned and made her way back towards the door. As she descended the stairs, the sounds of the storm diminished though they could still be heard. When she entered another room, something glittering on the floor caught her eye. It was a key that lay on the floor unguarded. Krystal, being the kind person that she is, decided to pick the key up for whoever had left it there. It was likely a tripping hazard and she didn't want anyone to fall and hurt themselves. It didn't look like it belonged to a lock on this ship, so she held onto it for its owner. _Oh, I'm just too kind._

There were no other doors down here so she decided to head back up above deck. Now that she had had her look around, she went back to the front of the ship to free the baby CloudRunner.

As she approached his cage, the door in front of her burst open and a raptor dressed in armor stepped out of the flames behind it, took a running start and jumped down the stairs in front of him and landed before Krystal. "General Scales," he spoke, savoring the name on his tongue. "Ruler, tyrant and dictator of Dinosaur Planet." When he finished his introduction he looked directly at Krystal with his cold eyes. "What brings you to my world?"

Krystal clenched her teeth as she glared at the evil General. "I'm not here to fight you." Her voice was defiant. She may not be here to fight, but she certainly didn't have to like this guy. "I'm only here because of a distress call," she continued.

General Scales turned around and walked back up the stairs while laughing cruelly. "A distress call? This whole planet is in distress." Though he said this, he did not seem concerned by it. He truly was the evil general, and Krystal found him pathetic.

"The CloudRunner told me about you, the evil general," she mocked while pointing at him.

"My girl, I am not evil," he replied. He turned towards the young CloudRunner in its cage. "I rule over the many dinosaur trines. You see, I must control this planet with fear." As he said this, he thrust the iron claws he was wearing through the bars on the cage at the young CloudRunner. "Otherwise," he continued, "the tribes always try to fight against me."

Krystals' anger had finally reached its limit. She ran forwards and threw herself at the general, hoping to attack him. Unfortunately, the general saw her and quickly grabbed her by the neck in midair and began to gently squeeze.

General Scales looked down at the fox-girl in his claws, his eyes now blazing. "You dare challenge me?" he hissed. He stalked towards the railing, dragging Krystal along the deck, still holding on to her neck. She struggled in his grip, grasping at his claws to trying to free herself before he threw her over the edge, for she knew that was what lay in store for her.

When he finally reached the railing he held Krystal high over the edge and roared in her face. "No one can defeat General Scales!" With a mighty heave, he threw her over the railing of the ship into the stormy sky. His deep laughter rang out and followed her downwards.

A few seconds later, she landed on the back of the CloudRunner she had been flying with earlier. She whispered him a quick 'thank you' and they rose into the Generals line of sight again.

The General, upon seeing Krystal alive, glared at her in hatred. "Bad luck General," she called to him in a very mocking tone. "Maybe next time." The CloudRunner turned around and they set off in their original direction once again. General Scales' angry voice followed them through the storm as her roared into the night.

"This is not over!"

Krystal bent closer to the CloudRunners head so she wouldn't have to yell as loud. "Let us find the source of the distress signal." They winged away into the night, leaving the General and his ship behind.

_End of Chapter One_

A/N: I'll use this spot to thank reviewers in later chapters, but for now I'll just put the title of the next chapter. _Look forward to __Chapter Two: Distress Signal_


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: Distress Call

A/N: Second chapter time. Wow. I think something's wrong with this story. I got a review but it didn't show up in my hotmail. And my friend didn't get an alert. Oh well. That's life. The third chapter should be up probably tomorrow. After that, I have no idea. I have to play through the next part of the game first.

_Chapter Two: Distress Signal_

As they winged through the night, a dim outline began to form in the distance. It was barely discernable through the rain and the clouds, but it looked something like a temple or a palace. From what she could see it looked a little run down. "I wonder if this is where the distress signal is coming from." She spoke loud enough for the CloudRunner to hear but she was more talking to herself.

The CloudRunner landed on a small wall on the edge of the palace and Krystal slipped off his back onto the wet stone floor bellow.

"This is Krazoa Palace." Krystal turned to the CloudRunner to listen to what he had to say about their whereabouts. "If you go inside, be very careful," he warned. "This is the dinosaur's most sacred place."

Krystal nodded her understanding to him and he once again took off into the stormy night. She wondered if the poor creature ever got tired of flying around all the time.

She turned back towards palace and took a look around. There were metal grates on the floor surrounded by rust and there were what appeared to be flying brains with tentacles. _Creepy…_ she thought to herself.

Looking a little farther into the distance, she noticed an EarthWalker lying nearly motionless on the ground. Taking care not to disturb the floating…squids…she ran towards him. When she reached him, she knelt down close to his face. Before she could say anything, he began to speak.

"The King EarthWalker sent us to protect Krazoa Palace. It's not safe here. If you find yourself in danger, roll out of the way." His breathing was slower then was normal and he seemed to be wounded.

"I'll remember that." Krystal no longer had any protection. She had used up all of her magic to defeat General Scales' Galleon and her staff was now lost to her. Evading danger was the only sensible option left for her.

Slowly, she stood up. She had better check inside the palace as well. The EarthWalker had said 'us' so that meant there had to be more inside. As she looked around she noticed a locked door behind the EarthWalker. She took the key she had taken from the Galleon out of her pouch and headed for the door. Maybe this was the lock that the key went to.

It fit perfectly. She gently pushed open the door and peeked inside. There was no one in there so she opened the door all the way and stepped inside. The only thing the room contained was a small bomb-like cylinder. She picked it up and examined it more closely. She was pretty sure it was an explosive of some sort or a fuel cell which could act as an explosive anyways.

Krystal turned around and spotted a brain-thing gliding towards her with its tentacles spinning. _That thing has got to go._ She hefted the explosive device over her shoulder and threw it at brain-thing. Upon impact, it exploded, killing the brain-thing. _Hmm. Handy._

An electrical buzzing emanated from the area she had landed at. From a pad on the ground, another explosive formed. That was definitely handy. Taking another explosive, she killed the second brain and blew up some boxes blocking a stairway leading down to a lower level that was also open to the sky. On the level bellow was yet another brain and another EarthWalker. This one looked in just as bad of shape as the other one.

Taking another explosive, she quickly took care of the brain hovering around and went to talk to the second EarthWalker. "What happened here?" she asked softly.

The EarthWalker looked up at her for a minute before responding. "General Scales and his SharpClaw army attacked. We tried to stop them but there were too many." His voice began to crack in anxiety.

Krystal placed a comforting paw on his snout. "It's alright. You're safe now. Just relax." The EarthWalker began to calm down and lay still once again. She could still feel him breathing so she knew he was only resting. She quietly stood up and headed inside.

When she reached to entrance to the palace, she spotted a third EarthWalker. How many of these poor creatures had been injured here? She knelt closer to hear what this one had to say.

"You should leave this place," he whispered. "Scales has brought a great evil into the palace."

"Don't worry, I'll be careful." She stood up once again and went inside the palace. Or at least she tried to. There was no door, just a large crack in the wall. She peered through the crack and could see the light inside of the palace but no way to get through. She stepped back and thought for a moment. This wall seemed thin enough. Maybe she could blow it up with an explosive.

Turning around, Krystal headed back to where the explosives were. Grabbing one, she returned to the wall. She stood a fair distance away so as not to get hit by the explosion.

It worked like a charm. She finally entered the palace and took a look around. The hall stemmed in two different directions. One direction quickly ended in a dead-end while the other one curved out of her sight. She decided to go down the one that actually lead somewhere.

As Krystal was walking down the hall, she came across and second branch of the hall that turned a corner and lead into another hall with flame throwers built into the wall. There was also an EarthWalker just before the fiery hall. She crouched down to listen to his story.

"Scales attacked the palace so that he could capture the Krazoa Spirits for himself." His voice was laced with hatred for the evil General of which he spoke. "The Spirits hold great powers and have been safe within this palace for a million years. We fought hard against the SharpClaw and were able to hide the Spirits throughout the planet." Krystal breathed a sigh of relief. At least Scales hadn't managed to capture all the Spirits. The EarthWalker continued. "Scales then unleashed an evil into the palace. In their hurry to leave the SharpClaw sealed me inside."

"I have opened a hole in the wall," Krystal explained. "If you have the strength, you can leave." She stood up and turned away. Krystal was growing angrier by the minute. How could he do this?! Scales had tried to capture the ancient powerful Spirits, had unleashed an evil in a holy place and injured so many dinosaurs in the process. This was wrong. She had to help these creatures.

Before she ventured into the fiery hall, she looked down at the other end. There was another wall with a crack in it. She had to find an explosive to break open this wall. She continued down the first hall a ways until she found what she was looking for; another explosive generator. Grabbing one she returned to the fiery hall and slowly maneuvered her way through the flame throwers.

After blowing open the wall, she entered a room with a very large, sealed door at one end and a pressure switch at the other. In the centre of the room stood an explosive. Well this was simple enough. All she had to do was place the explosive on the pad and go through to door. No trouble at all.

When she entered the new room, she noticed an EarthWalker lying in the centre of the room. She approached him slowly so she could speak with him. Maybe he was the one who had sent out the distress signal.

He looked up slightly as she approached. Krystal knelt down and placed her hands on his snout. "The Krazoa…need your help…they are dying…" The EarthWalker's voice was raspy and old; she could tell he was injured.

"Was it you that sent the distress signal?" she asked softly.

"When we were attacked, I signaled for help." He shook his head sadly and sighed. "We were massacred."

"But what were you doing here?" Krystal wanted to know why these poor creatures were here in the first place. No one should have to go through this without good reason.

"The King EarthWalker sent us to protect this sacred palace, home of the Krazoa." _That's a good reason_ Krystal thought. "The Krazoa are Peace Spirits, powerful beings that bring life to our planet," he explained. "Without the Spirits, our planet is dead." Krystal closed her eyes and shook her head in dismay. Why would Scales try to harness these Spirits if he knew what it would cost the planet? Or maybe he didn't know. Then again, this was General Scales they were talking about. Of course he knew.

"Is there something I can do?" Krystal stood up slowly and took a couple of steps back. She hoped there was something she could do. The old EarthWalker looked up at her.

"My girl, only the pure of heart can take the tests." He looked over towards a door in the wall that slowly opened, revealing what appeared to be a portal. "Enter the Krazoa shrine." His voice was becoming strained now. "Once inside, complete the spirits test and await your reward. If you succeed, then return to me." He coughed and then looked back up at Krystal. "I'm not going anywhere." He coughed again, this time more harshly.

Krystal took a few tentative steps forward. Was it really alright for her to enter this sacred place? She was an outsider. She looked back at the wounded EarthWalker behind her and then back to the door again. If it meant helping the dinosaurs, she had to. Crossing to the door, she entered the room and stood before the raised portal. Taking a deep breath she stepped up onto the middle of the platform.

She felt the energy begin to engulf her and light gathered closer to her body. She closed her eyes and spread her arms. It was so warm. Soon, calm, soothing thoughts began to enter her head. And then, she vanished.

_End of Chapter Two_

A/N: Aaaand I'm done. Thank you to Ninjafoxshadow for reviewing. It makes me happy. Look forward to _Chapter Three: The First Spirit_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three: The First Spirit

A/N: And now for number three. This will probably be the last one I post for, at the very least, two weeks. Do you know how stupid long it takes to get all the dialogue down properly? For just these three chapters it took me three nights of starting and restarting the game. And to think these chapters only encompass about the first 10 minutes of the game. ….this is going to be a long fic.

_Chapter Three: The First Spirit._

Krystal felt herself being pulled by the energy surrounding her to a different location. The sensation of traveling through nothingness was a little weird, but she dealt with it.

Her feet touched cool glass and she could sense the air around her again. She had reached her destination. Krystal opened her eyes to find herself in a room very similar to the one she had just left. Just in front of her was a door. Stepping off the platform, she left the warping room behind and entered the shrine. In this room was a ladder leading to a ledge above. Grasping the rungs, she climbed upwards until she reached a stone floor again.

Now she faced a room with geysers of fire and more floating brain things. The geysers turned on and off so, timing her approach, she was able to make it through safely. In front of her now was a pit containing the brain thing and beyond was a door blocked by a seal of some kind.

Avoiding the monster, she approached the door. Upon further inspection, she realized what it was. It was a Life-Force Door, meaning she had to defeat a certain amount of enemies for the door to open. She had never fully understood how these seals were accomplished but opening one was simple enough.

Just a few feet away was an explosive. Using it, she killed the brain thing, opening the door. Entering the new room, she was once again faced with a pressure switch and flame throwers lining the wall. She sighed in annoyance. Why did everything always have to be deadly? She stepped on the switch, opening the door at the other end and, making sure her timing was right, she dashed across the room to the closing door.

When she entered this newly opened room, she spied what she had been looking for; the first Krazoa Spirit. Slowly, she approached it, hoping for the best.

"Test one: the test of observation." The spirits mouth moved but its voice did not seem to originate from there. It echoed from all around her as well as in her head. It was a little bit unnerving but she stood her ground. "Watch closely where I hide. When the urns stop moving, you must show me which urn I have hidden in. Find me three times in a row and I will be yours to return to Krazoa Palace." As the spirit finished, Krystal smiled. She had always been good at these games.

Six urns appeared around her and the Krazoa spirit floated over to one of them. Turning back to her, it lowered itself in and the urns began to move. Left, right, left again, across the room. Krystal's fast eyes were able to keep track of the urn that contained the spirit. After each time she found it, the urns moved faster and in more erratic patterns. They were becoming increasingly hard to follow, but somehow, she managed.

After she had found it the third and final time, the spirit vanished. _What's going on?_ Wasn't she supposed to take it back to Krazoa Palace now? A sense of panic began to rise within her.

From behind her, Krystal heard the Krazoa Spirit's eerie mumbling again. She turned around to face what appeared to be a glass mirror. Suddenly ripples appeared, originating from the centre. Slowly, Krystal walked forwards as the Krazoa Spirit began to emerge from the rippling glass. Her mouth slowly opened in awe as the Krazoa and she drew closer. All of a sudden, the spirit rushed at her and entered her body. She gasped at the sensation of the spirit entering her body and filling her mind. She was lifted off her feet and suspended high in the air in the middle of the room with her arms spread wide.

The Krazoa Spirit began to subside until it was just a passenger in her body, along for the ride. Krystal was gently lowered to the ground where she fully became herself again. She had done it! She had successfully passed the Krazoa's test and was now able to return the Krazoa Spirit to the Palace.

When she had finished rejoicing she turned towards a mirror where she saw something that slightly shocked her. The whites of her eyes were now a deep purple. The shock subsided quickly. It was probably just the presence of the Krazoa Spirit.

Once again, she felt the energy and light envelop her body and she was transported back to Krazoa Palace. The old EarthWalker lay outside the door and, remembering his words, she approached him again. Seeing her approach, he smiled. Krystal knelt down by him again.

"The shrines keep the spirits safe from harm, but their powers are useless. Only when the Spirit has been released back into the palace can it be used to stop this war." Krystal took that as a subtle hint that she was now to release the Krazoa Spirit in her body into the palace. At one edge of the room were a small raised platform and a doorway high up on the wall. Perhaps that platform would rise up if she stepped on it.

When the platform had reached the hallway, she stepped off and continued down in the direction the hallway led. The hall branched off in two directions. One was sealed so it was obvious she could not choose that way. They other way, however, had a statue of a head of a Krazoa Spirit built into the wall with a mirror of rippling glass behind it and there was a glowing platform in front of it. Slowly, Krystal stepped on to the platform.

Suddenly she dropped to her knees in pain. The Krazoa Spirit was trying to leave her body and she felt like she was going to be ripped apart. Without warning even to herself, she flung her arms open and the Krazoa Spirit left her body. Krystal opened her eyes to see the spirit sink into the statue. She dropped her arms to her side and stood up slowly as the mouth of the statue began to open. She took a few steps back and a beam of purple light and energy burst forth from the mouth of the statue. She was breathing heavily, but she smiled. She had set the Krazoa Spirit free within Krazoa Palace.

Evening her breathing and using her paw to wipe some sweat from her brow, she began to turn back the way she had come. When she took her first step, a sound caught her ears; breathing. It was raspy and harsh. A footstep followed and Krystal whipped herself around to face whoever was there. Spying her assailant she cried out "It's you…Aaaaahhhhh!" He knocked her backwards into the beam of light and she was flung towards the other end of the hall. As she was flying, she lost consciousness.

When Krystal awoke, she found herself unable to move. She opened her eyes and looked around without moving her head. She was trapped inside a crystal! Outside of the crystal, she could see the sky and the rain so she knew she must be outside. Since she could see none of the Palace, she assumed she was at the top.

An image whizzing by outside caught her eye. As she followed it with her eyes, she realized it was the Krazoa Spirit she had freed. It was now circling the crystal she was trapped in. Panic began to set in. How could she get out? Would she be trapped in here forever? There was no one to realize she was missing so how was any one supposed to know what had happened to her?

She began struggling, or at least trying to. She could hardly move a muscle. When she tried to open her mouth to cry out, she found she was unable to.

After about ten more minutes of struggling, she finally stopped, resigning herself to the fact that she could not free herself. But who out there could help her? She had no friends of family to miss her, no one who would come to try to valiantly rescue her. _Will I ever be freed?_ she thought before slowly lapsing into deep unconsciousness.

_End of Chapter Three_

A/N: Once again, thank you to Ninjafoxshadow for reviewing. Maybe I'll get more reviewers over time, but for now, oh well. Look forward to _Chapter Four: Enter Team Star Fox_


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Oh my sweet lord. WHY DID NO ONE TELL ME HOW BADLY I FAILED!?!?!? I was being led to believe that I had done just fine on my previous chapter four and then I go back to see where I left off and I find out how horribly I did. I ashamed to call myself a writer T-T Please forgive me and enjoy the rewritten chapter four.

_Chapter Four: Enter Team Star Fox_

The Great Fox floated through space, propelled forwards by the several thrusters positioned on the rear of the ship. The lights on the four wings of the ship and on top of it flashed on and off slowly, an alert to any ships nearby so they would not crash into them.

Upbeat rock music emanated from the ship. The song was coming from a jukebox inside the ship. Inside, Slippy Toad, the mechanic for the Star Fox team, was repairing their robot helper, Rob. He was kneeling, bent over in front of Slippy who was sitting in a chair with a wrench. He had a hatch on Rob opened up and was tightening a bolt inside. Once the green toad had finished his repairs, he closed the hatch and tapped Rob on the back.

"That should be it, Rob," he said as the robot unfolded himself from the floor. "All fixed." Rob brought one of his hands up to his face and analyzed it with his eyes, which were really sensors that fed into his artificial brain.

"Affirmative." His voice sounded very electronic and he only spoke in one tone. "I'll get back to work." Rob walked away towards his station and Slippy turned around in his chair towards the jukebox, enjoying his music.

Over at a desk sat Peppy Hare who was diligently working on something that seemed to demand most of his attention. Finally, when he could stand the annoyance no longer, he turned towards their leader, Fox McCloud. He spoke with a bit of an edge in his voice. "Hey, Fox!" he called. "Isn't this music getting on your nerves? I'm trying to work on my maps.'

Near the centre of the room, just in front of a raised portion where Rob stood studying several screens, Fox McCloud sat in his chair with a computer attached to the arm. He swung the chair around while tapping on the keyboard. He looked away from the screen towards Peppy. "Okay, old-timer." Now Fox turned his chair towards Slippy. "Turn it down, Slippy."

Slippy, who was now turned away from the jukebox, grumbled and mocked Fox under his breath. He tossed his wrench over his shoulder and it hit the jukebox. The music stopped with a squeal and the wrench hit the floor. "Hey!" Fox yelled, half rising from his chair. He had wanted the music turned down, not off.

Before Fox could do anything more, the transmitter in the center of the room emitted a beeping noise and then flared to life. A blue hologram of General Pepper's head hung in the air above the transmitter.

"Slippy!" Fox cried. "It's General Pepper!" General Pepper was the commander of the Cornarian Army, which patrolled and protected the Lylat System.

"General Pepper here," he greeted the Star Fox team. "I have a new mission for you Fox." Fox sat forward in his chair. It had been a while since their last mission from the General so this was welcome news. Slippy turned towards the hologram with a look of amazement plastered on his face and his mouth hanging open. Peppy looked on calmly.

"You are approaching Dinosaur Planet," the General continued, "an ancient world on the edge of the Lylat System." General Pepper's head disappeared and in its place appeared an image of a world that had literally been torn to pieces. "As you will see, chunks of the planet have been torn from its surface. It's your job to get them back! If Dinosaur Planet explodes, it could affect the entire Lylat System."

At this point General Pepper's head appeared in the transmitter again. "The only lead we have is that you must locate the Queen of the Earthwalker Dinosaur tribe. Maybe she can help you further." As the General concluded, Fox placed his elbow on the arm of his chair and his head upon his fist. This would be an interesting mission. The planet didn't seem to have been torn apart by normal means, not that anything he and his crew got messed up in were normal anyways. But what could have caused destruction like this? _I guess I'll have to find this Queen Earthwalker if I want to find out anymore,_ Fox thought.

General Pepper's voice cut into his thoughts. "By the way, your fee has been approved. If you are successful, then the money will be forwarded to you immediately. Pepper out." General Pepper's words sent a surge of excitement through Fox and, obviously for they quickly sat forward in their seats, the rest of his team. This is just the motivation they needed to get the job done.

Looking at his two friends Fox leapt out of his chair and raised his fist in a gesture of excitement with a look of determination on his face. "You heard the General. Let's do it!" Slippy beamed with excitement and gave Fox an enthusiastic thumbs up. Peppy gave Fox a casual salute with a smile on his face.

Fox ran down one of the halls of the Great Fox and headed towards the ship bay where his Arwing awaited him. He was to fly down to the surface of the planet and land in a designated area where the Earthwalker tribe resided. Once he found the Queen, he was to find out what information he could from her and continue from there.

Getting down there should be a piece of cake, even with all the rubble he had to fly through. Stray pieces of rock floated everywhere around the planet from the chunks that had torn from its surface. There also seemed to be some ruins floating around the island, which was odd but it didn't overly matter. They would still be easy to navigate.

When Fox had left the bridge both Slippy and Peppy had suggested that he take Slippy down with him so he would have some backup when he reached the surface, but he had refused. He needed Slippy to stay on the Great Fox and do his tinkering for him. Right now he was getting started on a translator that would help him understand the language of the dinosaurs. Apparently they didn't speak the same language as they did. It wasn't that he didn't think Slippy could make it; it was just that he needed him up here.

Fox finally reached his Arwing and he nimbly vaulted inside. Reaching for the controls he lowered the hatch and started up his ship. He checked all his gauges and stats, making sure everything was in perfect working condition. It would really suck for his Arwing to fail on him just as he was trying to fly around some floating ruins and he got himself killed. Where was the fun in that?

Just as he finished checking his systems Peppy's voice blared at him over the speaker. _"You ready to go Fox?"_

"All systems go," he replied. Now for a nice leisurely flight through the rubble field before landing on the beautiful torn planet. Now the voice that echoed inside the chamber of the docking bay was electronic. _'Launching Arwing.' _Suddenly he was being propelled forwards and his Arwing was launched into space.

"_General Pepper here,"_ the Generals voice hailed him on the speakers. _Your mission takes place on ThornTail Hollow. Locate the Queen of the EarthWalker Tribe. She will help you further. Pepper out."_ Fox didn't bother replying. Instead he just concentrated on flying through the rubble that now surrounded him.

After a moment he saw something glowing green a short way in front of him. _What on Earth is that?_ As he approached he saw it more closely. It appeared to be a rock but there was something attached to the outside of it. As he flew closely to one of them the green lights turned red and then proceeded to explode.

"Whoa!" Fox exclaimed as he quickly veered out of the path of the explosion. _Why are there mines out here?!_ Quickly and skillfully he piloted through the rubble, ruins and newly discovered mines. There were, as he suspected, a few enemies flying around, but it was nothing much to worry about. Using his lasers he was easily able to blast through them.

Soon he was through the hazard zone and in the clear. Now all that was left to do was land safely. As he landed he saw several dinosaurs following his flight path. He didn't quite know what species they were but he guessed they were ThornTails. It wasn't too much of a leap of course, considering the name of the region he was in and the thorns on their tails. No mystery there.

He studied the radar on his Arwing, getting the lay of the land. He glanced out of his ship and glanced around. It was quite beautiful around here. Green grass and flowers grew everywhere and a small river flowed quietly through the valley. The only thing that offset this beauty was the obvious agitation of the locals. The ThornTails seemed on edge as did the other small animals that ran around and flew through the air.

Once he landed he quickly jumped out of his ship and scratched behind one ear. Now, where to find the Queen?

_End of Chapter Four_

A/N: Well I've fixed everything and this chapter is (hopefully) a lot better than it was before. Please don't let me do this again. If I fail tell me and don't let me go on thinking I did fine. Now that I think about it, should I get a beta? Well it might help sometimes…(continues to mumble to self)


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I have recently realized that unless I want this story to be about 200 chapters long I had better start making my chapters longer. This one is about twice as long as my previous ones and the ones to come will probably be about the same length (if not longer)

_Chapter Five: ThornTail Hollow_

Fox took a few steps away from his Arwing and activated his communicator. An image of General Pepper's head appeared above the floating transmitter device. Before Fox could greet the Pepper, the General spoke.

"Great flying, Fox. For a moment, I thought you weren't going to make it."

"Very funny, sir," Fox said sarcastically, crossing his arms. His flying was top notch and they both new it.

"I know," he said with a chuckle. "Now, on to business. Don't forget, you're looking for the Queen EarthWalker. Try talking to those ThornTail guys." The General looked around the Hollow, indicating the grazing ThornTails.

"Slippy is preparing a translator device." Pepper continued, "but until it's ready, he'll translate for you."

Fox nodded while rolling his eyes. _Great._ He hated not understanding what people were saying. "Okay, General, but what about a weapon? Why couldn't I bring my blaster?" he asked, motioning to the empty spot on his leg where his blaster was usually located when he was on a ground mission.

"It's always the same with you, Fox; shoot first, ask questions later. This mission is about saving the planet, not blowing it up," he said sternly. "It requires a different tactic. Try using your head." General Pepper's throaty laugh emanated from the communicator.

"Yeah, yeah," Fox replied with a hint of annoyance. "Very funny, sir. Fox out." Using the controls on his wristband he turned off the communicator. The General was right; he would have to talk to the ThornTails. Perhaps they would know where to find the Queen EarthWalker.

Looking around, he took stock of his surroundings. A stream ran through the Hollow which was fed by a small waterfall. At the top of the waterfall he saw a stone structure. It may have been a trick of the light but Fox could have sworn he saw it moving. Shaking his head, he went back to his surveying. There were several old structures built of stone and greenery bloomed everywhere, with a healthy dose of colourful flowers.

There were plenty of ThornTails around, so finding one to talk to wouldn't be much of a problem. He walked up to the nearest one and greeted it. Slippy was ready to translate.

"Hello stranger, I am a ThornTail," he greeted. "Scales has unleashed his army of SharpClaw upon us. They have taken the Queen EarthWalker and locked the doors. We are very worried about her safety." He clearly sounded distressed.

_Who is this 'Scales'?_ Fox thought. Obviously he was some big nasty that was currently running rampant, but was it because the planet was falling apart that he was causing chaos, or was he the cause of it?

Before he could contemplate further, the ThornTail continued talking. "Let me give some advice about our world. All around us are many trees, some of which contain DumbleDang Pods. A lovely, tasty fruit."

_Whatever you say._ The name of the fruit was a quite odd and he couldn't help but picture and equally odd looking and tasting fruit.

"Try finding a way to knock them out of the tree. They are a great source of energy." Once again, the ThornTail changed the subject. "Go and speak to the other ThornTails. They have much more for you to learn."

Fox nodded his thanks and moved off. The ThornTail had given him advice. Strange advice, but advice none the less, so he decided to heed it. Perhaps he would even try one of those DumbleDang Pod things. Later.

He talked to several more ThornTails, most of them giving him little bits of advice. "Nothing to see here, just this tree," one had said. "If you want some real help, you should go and look around the Store. It's over there through that doorway. Go down inside and take a look around. I'm sure there are lots of items for you to buy." Fox decided he would visit the store later. He should probably concentrate of finding the Queen first.

Several more conversations later, he still didn't have anything more. The first guy he talked to seemed to be the most helpful. He wandered for a minute more before hearing something he hadn't picked up before; crying. The Queen had been locked up. Perhaps that was her that he was hearing. Following the sound he eventually wound up in front of a large stone door. He pushed and shoved but no matter what he did it wouldn't budge. The door was good and locked.

Giving up he wandered for a bit more. This was far more frustrating than he had anticipated. The first part of the mission had seemed simple; go down to the planet and find the Queen EarthWalker. He hadn't counted on her being locked up and him not being able to get to her.

His wandering took him into a grove of trees he hadn't noticed before and there was something there that was very interesting; a staff. Walking slowly forwards, he examined it. It was stuck end down in the ground, like it had fallen from the sky. A blue gem glowed at the tip encased in gold and blue markings covered the smooth wood. Blue energy coursed up its length.

Reaching a hand out, he gripped the staff and yanked it from the ground. Suddenly the energy that had flowed along the staff flowed into him with a shock. He gasped and suddenly a female voice was filling his head. He didn't know the language in which she spoke but he clearly understood them.

"If you are receiving this message, then I am in great danger."

He looked again at the staff in his hands.

"The Staff you hold in your hands is a powerful weapon."

He studied the obviously ancient markings on its smooth, wooden surface.

"You must learn to use it wisely."

The end opened up and a blue energy-fire burned around it. He swung the staff and the energy that flowed through it to him responded.

"It will give you guidance when its powers can be used."

Fox launched into a series of offensive moves, handling the staff with ease.

"My Staff's main use is in combat and in time your skills may grow. Try different actions to unleash powerful attacks. You can also use it to explore the world around you. Try lifting rocks and knocking items out of trees."

He was breathing heavily as he finished the routine, though more from exhilaration than anything. He had never handled a weapon quite like this one. A fierce grin stretched across his face. He intended to use this staff.

"I'm sure that you will find it very useful," the voice finished. "Take care of my staff and it will take care of you."

With a sense of accomplishment Fox spun the staff and tucked it between his pack and his back, securing it in place. His gaze wandered back to the locked stone door sealing in the Queen and his sense of accomplishment vanished. He still had no way of releasing her. On a whim, he decided to return to the door and see if he had missed anything.

This time as he approached to door opened, but to his dismay, the Queen EarthWalker wasn't the one coming out to meet him. Some rather vicious looking dinosaurs in armour and wielding maces emerged instead. He took a rather large leap of logic and guessed these guys to be ShapClaws, their sharp claws having nothing to do with his reasoning.

As he took out the staff the female voice once again entered his mind. "It's time to use my staff in combat." The four SharpClaw rushed him but he was ready. With near ease, he began to attack the offenders with the staff. He had practiced with a quarter staff once or twice before, but with the intent of physical fitness, not bettering his skills with the staff itself. It looked like that training was paying off.

He quickly disposed of the SharpClaw and was about to put the staff away when the voice entered his head once again. "This message will only play if my staff feels that you are ready to become its master. Before the staff becomes your own you must learn to see and feel its call through your hands. Follow its call and discover what lies beneath."

Fox looked down at the staff in his hands and realized that he felt like it was pulling him somewhere. Remembering the message that Krystal had given he decided to follow the staff's call. He took a couple of steps before he stopped. How did he know that the girls name was Krystal? He had never met this girl before or even seen her. When he first gripped the staff was the first time he had ever even heard her voice. He looked down accusingly at the staff he now carried in his hand. The stupid thing was putting things in his head.

Shaking it off, he continued to follow to where the staff was leading. It took him behind the stone structure that resembled a very large well to a cave in the Hollow's wall. How had he missed this on his first go around of the place? Either way, he was here now, as the staff wanted. It was vibrating in his hands now.

A stone lay in the centre of the cave and using his staff, he flipped it over and away. Beneath it was a hole just big enough for him to drop through. It seemed somewhat of a bad idea but he decided to go with it. He had gone through with worse ideas before.

As he dropped down he fully expected a harsh landing to follow but instead he felt his body begin to slow and he was set gently on his fit. The whisper of a breeze ruffled his fur, which was odd considering he was underground, before it disappeared. Shrugging, he started down a hall that lay before him.

Soon he entered a room at the end of the hall. In the center lay a deep pool of water with an odd structure jutting out of the roof above a small island of stone. Energy Crystals ringed the pool of water. He had heard about these things from one of the ThornTails. Apparently they were used to power the staff.

After he jumped across the water to the stone in the water, he looked down at the staff and back up at the odd structure above him. General Pepper had said this planet was ripe with magic. Perhaps this thing had a way of channeling it into his staff. He decided to give it a try and raised the staff above his head.

Energy lanced out from the tip of the structure to the ends of the staff. After a moment where energy was transferred Fox felt the new energy within the staff and lowered it.

"You have collected your first Staff Upgrade," Krystal's voice echoed through his head. "It is called the Fire Blaster. With power from the Energy Crystals it can be used for many tasks.

Fox grinned and turned around to face the entry way and stopped. It was now barred by a gate that had fallen. _Where the heck did that come from?! And why didn't I notice it before?_ Fox shook his head in annoyance. He hated when things got complicated.

Walking up to the gate he began to examine it. He noticed an odd switch high up on the wall, so he couldn't reach it. He guessed, though, that it was used to operate this gate. Then he remembered his recent Staff Upgrade, the Fire Blaster. He looked down at his staff and back up at the switch. Well, may as well give it a try.

Holding the staff at the ready he aimed it up at the switch on the wall and then concentrated on firing. _Aaand…Fire!_ As he thought it, it happened. A small blast of fire projectile shot from the end of the staff and hit the switch, opening the gate.

Fox put the staff away and strolled through the open gate. He loved it when things went his way. He walked back to the beginning of the cave and looked up at the light filtering though the hole in the roof above. Just as he was wondering how to get out the same sensation that had lowered him safely to the ground surrounded him again and he felt himself lifted from the ground.

When he landed back in the world above, he remembered something. Hadn't he seen a large switch quite like the one that controlled the gate above the stone door that sealed in the Queen?

He quickly jogged back over to the door and looked. Indeed there was one. Perhaps he could finally open the door. Once again using his staff he hit the switch and the door opened. A feeling of triumph surged through him and he ran to the open door. It was dank and dark inside and now he could hear the crying more clearly.

As he ran down the hall he called out. "Is anybody there?" When he rounded a corner he saw who he could only assume was the Queen EarthWalker laying on the ground. She wore bands of jewels around her legs and had jewels embedded in the frill that extended from the back of her head. "Are you okay?" he asked, kneeling in front of her. She raised her head and nodded to him. "My name is Fox McCloud."

Before he could say anything more she began talking. Not that he could understand her. She was speaking in the language of the dinosaurs and his translator still wasn't ready. He rested an arm on one knee and his head in the other. He sat there like that for a moment, looking at her in incomprehension. Finally he sighed and rubbed his forehead.

He looked over at the communicator which he had activated when the Queen had started talking. "Did you get that Slippy?" he asked.

"You've got to go to the Ice Mountain," he translated, "to rescue her son, the Prince Tricky."

Fox paused and looked from Slippy back to the Queen. "Nice name," he laughed. "Okay lady, I'll bring your son back to you. Ah," he added, "can you give me some directions?"

Once again she began to ramble on in the language he couldn't understand. "You've got to talk to that big stone guy," Slippy piped up. Fox started then clenched his fists and closed his eyes. He had forgotten that Slippy was translating for him and he had been startled. "She called him a WarpStone." Slippy didn't seem to notice Fox's reaction.

"That's all I need to know," he confirmed. "I'll be back soon Queen, don't you worry." He turned around and jogged back out the hall. When he was out of the Queens hearing range he turned to Slippy's image in the communicator. "Haven't you finished that translator yet?" He was starting to get impatient.

"It's nearly ready, Fox," Slippy said. "I just need a bit more time. Slippy out."

Fox stepped outside into the night air. Apparently he had been in there talking to the Queen longer than he thought. Either that or it was later than he realized. He began walking over to the waterfall and the WarpStone that resided above it. Apparently he had seen that big stone thing move.

As he walked down a path he passed a plat that was emitting smoke. He paused to examine it, his curiosity getting the better of him. As he looked at it a ThornTail approached. "This is a Bomb Spore Plant." Slippy translated for Fox again. "Find a way to make it explode and it will throw out Bomb Spores. Collect these Spores, as they will become very useful when you need to get through solid walls." The ThornTail paused before continuing. "Though when you plant a spore it will not throw out any new spores."

"Thanks for that," Fox said. This Bomb Spore Plant would likely come in handy.

"Anytime," the ThornTail said happily before returning to his grazing. Using his staff's Fire Blaster Fox blew up the Bomb Spore Plant and collected the spores.

When he reached the waterfall he realized one tiny flaw. He didn't see a way up to the WarpStone. He approached a wall where a ThornTail was sleeping and examined it. There was a crack in the wall but he didn't have any explosives to use. Then he remembered the Bomb Spores he had just collected.

Looking down Fox noticed a fertile patch of ground at his feet. Perhaps if he planted a Bomb Spore here he could use it to break the wall. After he planted the Spore a new plant grew almost instantly. Backing away he readied his staff. Once again he used the Fire Blaster to detonate the plant. Something seemed a little off about an exploding plant but he forgave it on the count that it exploded. He had always had a thing for explosions.

Walking through the now open wall he saw the WarpStone. It was huge and sat on an island in the middle of the stream. Walking around the steam and across a small bridge he found a small outcropping that he was able to jump from across to the WarpSone's island.

"Excuse me!" Fox called up to it.

The WarpStone turned to him and called down. "Nobody ever brings me gifts anymore!" One second thought, the WarpStone wasn't calling as much as just talking. Something that large would undoubtedly have a loud voice.

_Great. Now I have to buy this big stone thing a gift._ He scratched behind his ear. What was he supposed to get a rock anyways? Walking back into the Hollow he began mumbling to himself. "What on earth do I get a rock as a gift? And why do I have to get him a gift anyways. That's not even dealing with the bigger concern of money. I highly doubt Cornarian money is accepted here."

"Perhaps I could help you," a ThornTail called to him. Fox looked up. He hadn't even realized he had been talking aloud. "You are looking for money?" he asked.

"I am," Fox confirmed.

"Well, you see those rocks over there?" He motioned behind him to the ring of rocks. "If you can manage to lift those up you might find some Scarabs."

"Scarabs?" Fox asked. "Aren't those bugs?"

"They are. But here we use them as our currency."

"Ah." Fox nodded his thanks and walked over to the rocks. Taking out his staff he used it to leverage the rocks up. Just as the ThornTail had said some Scarabs scuttled out. Dropping the rock, Fox chased after them. When he gathered as many as his pack could hold in one small pouch, he walked over to the Store.

When he walked into the store a floating dinosaur clad in loose purples approached him. It was a very odd looking creature, though it appeared to be the shopkeeper so he attempted not to judge.

"Welcome to my store." She quickly indicated the different sections of the shop, each covered with a drape in the doorway. "Now, hurry and choose something," she finished, "or get out." _So much for pleasantries._

Quickly he walked over to where the artifacts were kept and something immediately caught his eye. It was large, square and had a red gem in its centre. Strangely though it was labeled as 'Rock Candy'. The price was listed at ten Scarabs. He called over the shopkeeper to discuss a price.

"How about this for six Scarabs?" he asked.

"No, that's too low."

"Eight?"

"No, that's too low."

"Nine?" It was only a difference of one Scarab but hey, it was better than nothing.

"Okay, I'll sell it to you." Fox sighed. _Finally._ He handed over the agreed amount, grabbed the candy and headed back to the WarpStone. Holding out the candy, he called up to the WarpStone.

"Ah, a lovely sweetie," he exclaimed as he reached down and grabbed the candy, popping it into his mouth. "Hmmmm." He savored it for a minute before stretching and turning back to Fox.

"Who dares bother the mighty WarpStone?" The ground Fox was standing on began to rise and soon he was standing on top of a pillar and he could now look at the WarpStone without having to strain his neck. "A thousand years I've been left alone to rest," he continued. "What do you want?"

"Well, uh," Fox said awkwardly. It was…different to be talking to a stone. "Can you help us?"

"Help you?" the WarpStone asked incredulously. "No."

"But you're a WarpStone!" Fox cried. "You're supposed to help."

He was about to argue but paused. "Ah. Right." Fox shook his head. "Let's see if I can remember what I'm supposed to do. Where do you want to go?" he asked.

"The Queen said I needed to go to Ice Mountains to rescue the Prince."

"Ah, yes. Prince Tricky. Well, are you ready to go to the Ice Mountains?"

Fox nodded and stepped into the WarpStone's outstretched hand. He looked at Fox intently and suddenly he felt his body begin to vanish. "Good luck!" the WarpStone called, though his voice was already growing faint as Fox was transported by the power of the WarpStone to the Ice Mountains.

_End of Chapter_

A/N: Thus concludes chapter five. The next chapter will be _Chapter Six: The Prince Tricky_ (I'm no longer gonna mention reviewers here. You know who you are and you know you have my thanks. I work on a laptop with no internet anyways, so I can't even check.)


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N:_ Sorry this took so long. Life has been…confusing lately. Now that it's settled down, I should be updating more regularly. Well, hope you enjoy!

_Update:_ Oops. Forgot to mention. I'm having a bit of a dilemma right now. It probably won't happen for a while either way but I'm debating whether or not I should put my own little twist in this story or just do a pure novelization. I know more people read this then those who review so I would appreciate your input in the matter. Please tell me your opinion in a review or a pm. I won't say what the twist is or it would be a spoiler if I go that way.

_Chapter Six: The Prince Tricky_

When Fox could finally feel his body again he was standing on a warp pad in a frozen cave. The air in the cave chilled him and his breath misted in the air. Pulling his vest tighter around his furred body, Fox wished he had brought warmer clothing.

Stepping off the warp pad, he placed his foot on the floor of the cave and almost slipped. He regained his balance quickly and glanced down at the floor under his feet. It was slicked with a thin layer of ice that creeped up the walls as well. He would have to be careful where he stepped or else he might find himself flat on his back.

Slowly and carefully Fox made his way up the sharply slopping tunnel. Strangely, it was lit with the odd torch here and there. He hadn't thought this place would be used much, but perhaps he had been wrong. Maybe the warp pad linked to more places then just the WarpStone. Fox knew that there would probably be trouble as soon as he left the cave so he reached for his blaster before once again realizing he did not have it with him. He would have to get used to this soon. Instead, he readied his staff in preparation to fight.

When he had made his way to the mouth of the cave, he quickly stopped then pulled back out of sight. Ahead of him was a clearing filled with snow and ice. An odd brush plant stuck up through the snow here and there, but that was not what stopped him. In the middle of the clearing two large blue SharpClaw stood with maces. Suddenly a large steel airship soared over them and stopped. The bottom hatch opened and a ball of light descended down to the jeering SharpClaws below. When Fox looked closer he saw a young purple EarthWalker inside the light. He looked terrified and Fox realized that he was the Prince Tricky.

Once Tricky's feet touched down on the frozen earth the light around him disappeared, immediately he began to cower and whimper, looking up at the SharpClaw in fright. The airship above them wheeled away and soared off into the distance. The two blue SharpClaw began hopping up and down in excitement, waving their maces in the air. The young prince whimpered again and tried to back away from the two crazed beasts only to be prodded with a mace. He whined at their torment, which only provoked them more. Soon they were flailing their maces and beating the helpless EarthWalker.

With a sinking feeling, Fox realized he couldn't take much more of this. Just as he was about to jump out of hiding to help, the prince took off at a run. The SharpClaw cheered and gave chase, herding him into a cave. As soon as they entered the cave, a large metal door descended, locking them in and Fox out. Sighing, Fox stepped out from behind the wall. Now he would have to find a way to open the door.

Fox took a few steps then stopped again. In the distance he heard what sounded like a small explosion. Looking up he saw a cannon ball soaring through the sky towards him. _Not an explosion,_ he thought in alarm. _Cannon fire!_ Fox dove out of the way and rolled into a crouching position, drawing his staff. He looked around and spotted the cannon quickly. It was manned by a single SharpClaw who was now furiously trying to turn the cannon in Fox's direction. He almost laughed. The SharpClaw had next to no idea what he was doing.

Standing, Fox put his staff away and continued his exploration. As long as he kept moving, there was next to no chance of him being hit. First, he walked over to the door of the cave. He pushed on it and pounded it with his staff but nothing happened. He would have to find an opening mechanism somewhere else before he could get in.

He walked along the icy path, looking for something that could give him a clue as to what to do next. Eventually he reached a stone ledge that acted as a natural wall between him and whatever lay beyond. About halfway he found an opening in the wall but it was blocked by a large pile of stone blocks. They were too heavy for him to push over and even his staff was useless against them.

_I'm getting no where!_ Fox thought angrily. He continued to follow the wall until he reached a dead end in the path. He was about to cry out in frustration when he noticed a familiar patch of dirt on the ground. Bending down, he brushed away the light covering of snow to reveal an area to plant a bomb spore. Looking at the wall more closely he noticed a fissure in the stone. Fox grinned and planted a bomb spore which immediately sprouted. The wall that would be affected was not part of the same wall he had been following but perhaps he would be able to find something else beyond it.

Backing up, Fox readied his staff and fired. He was rewarded with a satisfying explosion. When the smoke cleared and the rubble set, Fox hurriedly walked into the new opening, hoping to find something useful. Inside, he found a Fuel Cell and what looked like a well. Picking up the Fuel Cell, he leaned over the edge of the well and looked in.

A croaking voice called up to him. "That'll be twenty Scarabs, and I'll give you a cheat token." Fox almost threw a rock down the well instead. _What in the world is a cheat token and what would I need it for anyways?!_ So much for finding something useful.

With a sigh, Fox walked back to where he started. Coming back from this direction he noticed that what he thought was a simple outcropping of rock before was in fact a small wall of stone. The entrance was visible from this direction so he walked over, hoping to finally find something he could use.

His efforts were rewarded. Inside he found an explosive device. Beneath it he saw a pad that looked like it would automatically regenerate the exploding cylinder after the previous one detonated. When he picked it up a red light on the top flicked on and started flashing as a beeping sound started. He realized now that this was a time bomb. Suddenly he remembered the impenetrable stone blocks before and decided to try his luck.

It didn't look like he had much time so he ran as fast as he could towards the opening in the wall. With mere seconds to spare, Fox tossed the explosive at the blocks which were immediately engulfed in the explosion. Instead of turning to rubble, they simply disintegrated. Spying SharpClaw inside, he dashed in with his staff ready.

The SharpClaws were startled by the explosion and were slow to react to Fox's arrival. He was able to dispatch with them quickly, but the more pressing matter was the cannon that resided on a ledge just above him.

Quickly he took cover against the rock directly beneath the cannon where it would be unable to take aim at him. Before he could do much else, a rumbling sound caught his attention. It was coming from over by the cave where Prince Tricky was being held. Ignoring the cannon, he ran over.

Above the door now was a red switch. He decided to call them Blast Pads, since using his Fire Blaster was the only practical way to activate them. He guessed the death of the two SharpClaws he had killed must have triggered its appearance. Steadying his nerves, Fox took aim at the Blast Pad and fired.

The door began to open and Fox ran towards the entrance. Peering around a bend in the tunnel, he saw the two SharpClaw still tormenting the young prince. Tricky said something Fox did not understand but it was clear he was begging them to stop. The SharpClaws just laughed and continued beating him.

Fox stepped out from behind the bend and ran up to the SharpClaws. "Hey, scaleface!" he called, trying to bait them. "Pick on someone your own size!" The SharpClaws wheeled around to face him. Stalking up to him, they began talking; not that he could understand them.

"I am Fox McCloud, lead pilot of the Star Fox team," he said proudly, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "I have come to take the prince back to his…" The prince took advantage of the distraction and ran out of the cave. "…home?" He turned around to chase after him but was hit from behind by one of the SharpClaws. "Hey, wait!" he called to the prince. Stumbling, he tried to go forwards but the blow had disoriented him and was then bowled over by the second SharpClaw. Slightly dazed, he watched as the SharpClaw mounted two sleds and took off in pursuit of the escaped prince.

Once Fox's head had cleared enough for him to stand he clambered to his feet and looked around. Not far from him rested a third sled. Quickly, he jumped on it and tried to figure out the controls. They were simple enough. Press this to turn it on, turn this to accelerate and turn this to brake. As soon as he turned it on he took off after the SharpClaws.

A wooden fence he had seen earlier was now broken, obviously by SharpClaw. Accelerating, he followed their trail. When they were within sight, he had to think of a plan. The prince had gotten a fairly good head start on them but they would catch up to him eventually. He didn't see any weapons on his sled and he highly doubted he would be able to aim, shoot and drive all at once. It would have been a different matter if he had his blaster but he needed far more concentration to make the staff work. That left him with two options; run them off the road and damage their sleds enough where they would have to give up the chase, or simply beat them to the fleeing prince. Either one would work.

They were passing through a narrow valley now. Rough stone walls surrounded them as the snow spray from his slide flew up and around him. The cold air stung his eyes as he sped through the valley but he ignored it. He had to pass through tunnels, dodge around rocks and trees and try to keep the SharpClaws in sight the whole time. At one point they passed through a monstrous cavern and Fox had to be careful to not fall off the ledge he was riding on while maintaining speed.

Just as he exited the cave, something nearly exploded in his face. He jerked his sled in time to avoid it but lost some valuable ground. He looked ahead and noticed the SharpClaw dropping bombs behind them. "Oh, come on!" he shouted at no one, the wind whipping the words away as quickly as he uttered them.

Looking around he spotted what he hoped was a short cut. He decided to risk it and maneuvered his sled towards it. It was a tunnel burrowing into the rock wall and seemed to lead to a point further down the path. Once again outside and racing through the valley, he looked behind him to see the SharpClaw raising their fists at him in anger. A fierce grin played itself across his face and he looked forward just in time to go hurtling over the ledge in front of him.

Yelling in panic, Fox flew off the sled and fell towards the hard ground below. Thankfully he landed in a pond so his fall was softened. He expected a biting cold sensation but was surprised to find the water warm. Groaning, he stood up and looked back up at the ledge to see the SharpClaw sitting on their sleds glaring down at him and yelling. Glancing at the edge of the water he noticed Prince Tricky shaking himself dry. Walking over to dry land he kneeled and started breathing heavily. Even though the fall wasn't as bad as it could have been, the vulpine still felt bruised and tired.

After recovering a small bit of strength, he turned to the prince EarthWalker. Before he could say anything the small dinosaur started talking. For all the good it did him, Fox's translator still wasn't ready yet.

"What?" Fox shouted in confusion.

Tricky looked at him as if what he said had been the most obvious thing in the world. He repeated what he said before, expecting Fox to understand him this time around.

"I…I can't understand you!" Fox said, raising his hands above his head in distress.

Tricky sighed and once again started to repeat what he had said, enunciating carefully. At first he was nothing but gibberish to Fox but suddenly his translator kicked in. "…hot spring or you'd be frozen by now." The young prince proceeded to laugh at Fox.

Fox suddenly wished his translator didn't work so well. "Why you little…" Fox raised a fist at the smart-alecky prince, more for effect than to actually do anything.

Tricky backed away. "Hey, I wouldn't if I were you," he said defensively. "My dad's the King EarthWalker and he'll bash you up."

Fox's anger vanished at the young boy's words. Slowly he knelt in front of Tricky but could not look him in the eyes. "I don't think he'll be doing any bashing," he said sadly. "He's been captured. That's why I've been sent to rescue you."

Tricky looked at Fox in shock. "He's been captured?" he asked, a note of alarm in his voice.

"That's right," Fox confirmed. "It was your mother that sent me to find you."

"Is she… okay?" He was clearly worried about her. Despite his attitude, he seemed like a good kid who looked up to and cared for his parents.

The Queen's condition hadn't been great when he left and Fox didn't imagine that it had improved. It would do no good upsetting Tricky by telling him this. "She'll be just fine," he said. "But we need to get you home."

Tricky didn't argue any further so Fox looked for an exit. They seemed to be deep in the mountains now but there was a pass just behind them. Stuffing his hands in his vest pockets to stave off the cold, Fox started down the path with Tricky following closely behind.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"Out of here," Fox replied simply.

"How?"

"By going wherever this leads." Fox seriously hoped that Tricky's questions would not persist for very long. Fox was a mercenary, not a babysitter.

Eventually they reached a large hole in the ground. It was more like a pit than anything. Down in the bottom of the pit, lava bubbled and hissed with steam rising into the air, heating it to an almost uncomfortable temperature. The wall of the pit was rough and could be easily scaled but there was the little problem of getting over to the other side. The walls were only good for climbing directly in front of them and directly across. The larger problem was that there was no way around the pit.

"I'm hungry," Tricky complained suddenly.

Fox stopped and turned to the young prince. "Well what am I supposed to feed you?" he asked. "I barely have enough food for myself."

Tricky looked around and spotted some mushrooms nearby. He ran up to them and turned to Fox. "These Blue GrubTub Fungus are an EarthWalker's favorite food," he told Fox. "Problem is they're too hard for me to catch." He gave Tricky a dubious look. What was so difficult about catching a mushroom that couldn't move?

Walking towards the GrubTubs he realized why they were so difficult to catch. These mushrooms weren't rooted down and seemed to be alive. As he approached, they hopped away. "Try stunning them with your staff," Tricky continued. "I'm feeling real hungry."

Sighing, Fox took out his staff and used it to stun the GrubTubs. Once they were subdued, he picked them up and handed them to Tricky who ate them hungrily.

"That's better," he sighed when he had finally finished. "Now I'm feeling strong enough to do some work."

"What kind of work?" Fox asked, suddenly intrigued.

"First we need to look around for a crack in the ground. Once we find one I can dig through it and find what's underneath. There is usually some really valuable stuff hidden in the ground. Maybe I'll uncover something cool!"

It didn't take them long to find what they were looking for. In the ground next to a burned out campfire, a crack in the ground was barely visible beneath a layer of snow. After clearing away the snow they realized how soft the earth around the fissure was.

"Well, let's see what you can do." Fox motioned for Tricky to start digging.

As Tricky dug through the dirt a large switch pad was slowly being uncovered. When it was fully visible, Tricky stepped forward onto the switch. A loud clank brought their attention to a gate blocking a cave they hadn't noticed before. Together they walked over to investigate. Just before they arrived the gate closed again.

Fox turned to Tricky. "Go back there and stay on that switch until I can find a way to keep the door open." Tricky did as he was told and sat down on the switch. The gate opened again with a clank and Fox glanced around for something to keep it open. He spied a stone nearby that looked the perfect size to jam the gate. Once he had the rock in place he beckoned Tricky into the cave. Inside was what looked like a switch but with no lever. There was a light beside the small opening where the lever should have been. Currently the light was red, indicating the mechanism it controlled was not active.

"What's this?" Tricky asked.

"I know as much about it as you do," Fox replied. _Probably less, since you live here._ He didn't say that aloud however. The last thing he wanted to do was provoke the young EarthWalker into gloating.

Fox inspected the small hole for a moment before remembering his staff. It was about the right size to fit in the hole. Taking it out from behind his pack, he looked at it for a moment before inserting one end into the hole and pushing down on it. Something clicked inside the machine and they heard a loud noise like stone grinding against stone from somewhere outside.

Quickly, the pair ran back to the pit they had seen earlier and were surprised to see that a pillar of rock had appeared in the middle of the lava pit. It was in the perfect position for them to jump across. Climbing down onto a small ledge, Fox glanced up at Tricky. "If you jump down I'll catch you," he called.

"You've got to be kidding me," Tricky mumbled but he closed his eyes and jumped off the ledge. Fox caught him and placed him down on the ledge.

"Can you make it across yourself?" Fox asked.

Tricky scoffed, rolled his eyes and jumped across to the far ledge. Fox almost laughed and followed the energetic child across. Once they were both on the far ledge Fox realized they had a bigger problem then they thought; how was he going to get Tricky up onto the path above? They stood and thought about it for a bit before they resigned themselves to the fact that Fox would have to carry him up. Fox knelt down and let Tricky climb onto his back. He settled himself on top of Fox's pack and braced himself against his shoulders. He was a little heavy, but not unbearable. With that problem solved Fox began his ascent.

When they reached the top they continued down the path, but only for a moment, before they reached a dead end. Fox rubbed the bridge of his nose in frustration. This was becoming far too annoying.

"See that crack in the rock?" Tricky said. Fox looked up to see that the young prince had moved over to the wall. "I can try to dig through that if you'd like."

"Yeah, go for it." Fox watched as Tricky burrowed his way through the stone wall. This young princeling was definitely helpful. When Tricky called to him from the other side he crawled through the small tunnel he had made. The other side was pretty much the same; a narrow mountain pass with the walls closing off at the top, mostly obscuring the sky. They rounded a bend in the path and their surroundings immediately changed.

Fox and Tricky stepped into a wide path now, though they were still surrounded by mountains. Large coniferous trees grew along the path with the odd torch that was already lit here and there. Fox wondered why the torches were lit since it was still daylight and sunlight streamed from the now visible sky.

"This is the SnowHorn Wastes!" Tricky said excitedly. "We're getting closer."

"Well at least you know where we are," Fox grumbled. "Because I have no idea." It had been poor planning on his part, really. He should have bought some of those maps he had seen at the store back in ThornTail Hollow. He would have to remember to do that when they returned.

They took a few more steps forward then heard clawed feet crunching in the snow. It was then that the duo noticed the SharpClaws patrolling the path. Tricky whimpered and hid behind Fox. "I don't like them," he whined. "They're scary and mean."

"Don't worry," Fox reassured him. "I can deal with them easily enough." Tricky held back doubtfully as Fox advanced to deal with the SharpClaws. It was easy enough. They obviously weren't very skilled and had no chance against a trained fighter. When he was finished disposing of the SharpClaw, he continued down the path. Eventually it opened up into a large clearing that may once have held a small lake. Now it was all ice and snow. In the middle of the clearing, a group of SharpClaw ran in circles. He thought it was funny at first until he realized with dismay that they were chasing Tricky. He looked around and realized the young EarthWalker must have run ahead while he had been dispatching the SharpClaw. The only thing lift to do was help him.

Running towards them he dealt the first one a massive blow from behind, knocking him out cold. The second one attempted to block him with his mace but Fox managed to get behind his guard and hit him under the chin with the butt of his staff, snapping his head back. As he fell, Fox gave a roundhouse kick to the head to the third SharpClaw. He followed in quick succession with his staff and knocked him out as well. Once he was sure that all three would not bother them again for a while he returned his staff to his pack and turned to Tricky.

"Tricky, are you crazy? Just leave the SharpClaws to me."

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry." He looked down at the ground, ashamed.

Fox sighed. "It's okay, kid," he said. "Just be more careful next time."

"Alright Fox."

With that settled they took a closer look around the clearing. There wasn't anything special about it; a geyser shot up out of the ice and there were camp fires scattered across the snow. There was one thing that caught their eye though.

"Hey, that's a SnowHorn," Tricky pointed out. "Maybe we can ask him how to get out of here."

Fox agreed and they walked over to talk to the lone SnowHorn. "Excuse me," Fox said.

"I'm too hungry to talk to strangers," the SnowHorn said irritably. He turned away from Fox and Tricky and lay down in the snow. Fox began to grumble. This was the second time he had to go hunting for food just because someone was hungry or lonely. He wasn't an errand boy; he was the lead pilot of the Star Fox team on a mission from General Pepper of the Cornerian army. But if he wanted to complete this mission he had to get the SnowHorn some food.

"Do you know what SnowHorns eat?" Fox asked Tricky.

The young prince thought for a moment before he nodded excitedly. "They eat Alpine Roots. I should be able to find a couple by digging." Fox nodded and together they searched for the Alpine Roots.

It wasn't an easy task. There tried digging in many different places but most of the time they came up empty. As they were wandering through the clearing, Fox felt the staff begin to pull him somewhere as it had when he found the upgrade that gave him his Fire Blaster.

"What is it Fox?" Tricky asked when Fox stopped walking.

He was looking around, trying to find the source of what was calling him through the staff. "I'm trying to find something," he stated simply. He looked around until he found another crack in the ground. "Tricky," he called. When the prince was standing beside him he indicated the cracked ground. "I want you to dig here."

"Sure thing Fox." He started digging. It didn't take him long. Soon enough there was a hole in the ground emitting green light, the same as last time.

"Wait here," he told Tricky and hopped down the hole.

_End of Chapter_


End file.
